


Three Times Alec Didn't Stay for Breakfast (And One Time He Did)

by misura



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-30
Updated: 2010-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-14 05:44:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Shadowhunters spending the night are advised to beware of cats, things in the fridge, lingering guests and, of course, your resident High Warlock.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Times Alec Didn't Stay for Breakfast (And One Time He Did)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smaragdbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/gifts).



> originally posted July 2010
> 
> prompt: _Alec/Magnus, breakfast_

The thing was: it wasn't Alec's fault, really. He had to be back at the Institute reasonably early - early enough for nobody to suspect he hadn't spent the night there as well. It wasn't as if there were any other places he could claim to have spent the night, after all.

And Magnus liked to sleep late - not, he hastened to inform Alec, because he needed his beauty sleep, but because being High Warlock of Brooklyn was a _demanding_ occupation.

Being a Shadowhunter wasn't exactly an _un_ demanding occupation either, although Alec sometimes thought he'd gotten a lot more sleep before he'd started dating Magnus.

[01.]

"What," Magnus asked ominously, "did you do?"

Chairman Meow was cradled in his arms, producing piteous noises that almost ( _almost_ ) made Alec feel sorry for the creature on whom he had most certainly _not_ stepped while going down to the kitchen for a glass of milk (or juice, provided Magnus was stocking anything that didn't look like it might turn his tongue into an interesting color for the rest of the day).

"Nothing." Alec knew he wasn't helping his case by sounding sulky. It was simply so _unfair_ though; he genuinely hadn't been anywhere near Magnus's cat (and even if he had, Alec didn't think he could be blamed for not seeing it; it was the animal's own fault if it lacked the sense not to get stepped on. Which it hadn't been, at least not by Alec.) "I swear," he added, trying to sound a bit more sincere, and less like he thought Magnus was making a big deal out of nothing.

"Oh, so it was _someone else_ who disrespected Chairman Meow by stepping on him?" Magnus asked.

"It's just a cat!" Alec burst out. Magnus's expression darkened. "And I didn't go anywhere near it."

"You mean you didn't _see_ you were going anywhere near it."

Alec considered for a moment if perhaps he ought to let Magnus have that point, if maybe he should admit that it was _possible_ he hadn't spotted the animal in the dark. He hadn't stepped on it; he'd have noticed _that_ , but he might have frightened it by putting his feet down somewhere near it.

Magnus was making cooing sounds to the cat, which seemed to throw a smug look at Alec before it began to purr softly.

"I didn't see it, because I didn't go anywhere near it," Alec repeated firmly. "And anyway, it looks fine to me." That second half, he realized as Magnus's expression hardened, might have been the wrong thing to say. Well, it might have been _another_ wrong thing to say. There didn't seem to be any _right_ things he was saying this morning.

"Get out," Magnus said, without looking at him. "Any enemy of Chairman Meow's is an enemy of mine."

Alec tried to imagine anyone saying that about _him_. Jace might, he thought, or Isabelle. They were his family, after all. They cared about him, even if Jace would never see him as more than a little brother, someone to protect and take care of.

Magnus wasn't family. He wasn't even a Shadowhunter. "Fine," Alec said. It was getting late, anyway.

"I'll call you later today to let you know how he's doing," Magnus said, taking his eyes off Chairman Meow for a brief moment to look at Alec's face. "I know you're deeply sorry for what you did, even if you're too stubborn to admit it." From his tone, it was clear Magnus considered himself to be magnanimous, to let Alec off so lightly.

"Fine," Alec said, again.

 

[02.]

Magnus was always keeping weird things in his fridge. He also seemed to collect kitchen magnets, which Alec didn't mind so much, but being unable to open the fridge without needing to defend himself against some tentacled ... thing trying to grab him was a bit much.

Even Shadowhunters let their guard down sometimes, and getting some milk from the fridge definitely was one of those times. Few demons liked the cold, and fewer still would have fitted inside your average modest-sized fridge, like the one they had at the Institute.

Magnus had thought the whole incident highly amusing, of course.

"Honestly, Alec, shrieking like a little girl simply because of some poor little plant."

Alec glowered. "I did _not_ 'shriek like a little girl'. And what kind of plant _is_ that, anyway?"

It looked deceptively harmless, standing on the kitchentable in front of Magnus. Granted, the part where Magnus was feeding it marshmallows, which it grabbed with its tentacles and dropped into something that rather resembled a mouth might be a bit ... unusual, but if you ignored that bit, the thing really did look quite ordinary. Nothing at all like something to get scared out of one's wits by.

"Oh, it's just an old thing I picked up somewhere," Magnus said vaguely.

"Right." Alec wondered if he ought to tell Hodge about the plant, and how he'd be able to do so without mentioning his relationship with Magnus. "Well, if it's old, I guess at least that means it won't grow any bigger."

Magnus coughed. "Yes," he said. "It's quite old. Fully grown. Absolutely. Um. Would you like me to walk you to the door? I'll be happy to protect you from any more dangerous potted plants you might encounter."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Alec asked, a bit hurt in spite of himself.

"Well, yes," Magnus admitted. "Also, I'm rather hoping you won't tell anyone about having seen this little fellow in my kitchen."

Alec gave him a long look. Magnus looked genuinely nervous, which was ... rather new. Alec had asked Magnus for favors often enough, but Magnus had never really asked anything in return, or given any indication that he needed Alec for anything.

"Alec?"

"I don't even know what it is," Alec said. It felt nice, almost, to be the one _granting_ a favor instead of _asking_ for one. Magnus never seemed to mind ... much, only it made Alec feel a bit uncomfortable on occasion, like he couldn't do anything without requiring Magnus's help.

"So you won't tell anyone?" Magnus pressed.

"How about a trade?" Alec propsed. "I won't mention this to anyone _if_ you don't either."

Magnus sighed. "Specifically, the part where you shrieked like a little girl?"

"Did not," Alec said.

"Oh, all right." Magnus sighed. "We have a bargain."

Alec smiled, pleased. It seemed to have completely slipped Magnus's mind that a Shadowhunter's word was only binding if he'd sworn on the Angel - which meant that Alec was still free to tell anyone about the plant, if he needed to.

(He never did; the next time he came by, the plant was gone and Alec never heard anything about a tentacled, Shadowhunter-eating plant showing up anywhere, so that was all right.)

 

[03.]

"What's a _Shadowhunter_ doing here?"

The vampire seemed about as grouchy as could be expected under the circumstances. On second thought, Alec probably ought to have waited until after dawn to leave, but he'd wanted to be sure he got back to the Institute in time for breakfast, and Magnus had still been fast asleep when Alec had woken up, so there hadn't seemed to be any reason to stick around.

Alec wasn't _afraid_ , of course. Even if the vampire were to attack him, Alec was more than capable of defending himself. Just because he didn't have the kind of record Jace had, that didn't mean he was helpless. It was simply that Jace was very, _very_ good - and fast.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said coolly, feeling like an idiot the moment the words had left his mouth. He could almost hear Jace's voice, commenting that actually, no, he couldn't, given that the vampire wasn't a Shadowhunter.

Happily, the vampire seemed unaware of Alec's slip. "I got an invitation. For the party." Alec wondered if the vampire was looking for friends of his, or if he expected to see Magnus.

"The party ended quite some time ago," Alec said. "I suggest you head home now." It always worked when Magnus told people that, no matter how drunk or grouchy they were.

The vampire snarled at him. "You don't give orders around here, Shadowhunter." Clearly, Alec was no Magnus.

"All the same, he's right." Magnus had taken the time to get dressed and even do his hair, Alec noticed, not entirely surprised to find Magnus standing behind him. "Party's over. Time to go home."

It worked when Magnus said it. Of course.

"Are you really going to let him go just like that?" Alec asked softly.

Magnus waited until his former guest had closed the door behind him, then turned to Alec with an expression of mild surprise on his face. "What else am I supposed to do with him? Turn him into a frog? That would hardly be kind to the other frogs in this neighborhood, would it?"

"What if he _tells_ anyone?" Magnus _knew_ how much it meant to Alec that their relationship remained a secret. Alec had rather assumed Magnus wasn't too keen on people finding out about them either. As had just been demonstrated, most people Magnus associated with didn't look too kindly on people like Alec.

"What if he does?" Magnus shrugged. "It's no secret I'm open-minded when it comes to inviting people to my parties."

"But - " Alec said.

"You'll get a headache if you keep worrying like this." Magnus smiled at him. "So don't. It will be fine. You just worry about getting home in time."

 

[04.]

Alec woke groggily and to the smell of fresh bread. The second was explained easily as he caught sight of the large tray Magnus put down on the bed.

"What time is it?"

"Around four, I'd say." The first was explained easily as well - if hardly logically.

"Why are you waking me up at four o'clock in the morning?"

"You looked in sore need of a hearty breakfast?" Magnus offered.

"I _feel_ in sore need of sleep," Alec replied grumpily. "Lots more sleep." Magnus had put on some lights - not all of them, but enough for Alec to know he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep unless Magnus'd turn at least some of them off again.

Magnus remained silent as he poured a cup of tea for himself, and then one for Alec.

"Seriously, what's all this about?" Alec sat up straight, accepting the cup of tea as Magnus handed it to him.

Magnus shrugged. "Maybe I'd just like to have breakfast with you for once."

"Oh," Alec said. At least the food smelled good; better than anything they got at the Institute, especially when Isabelle was cooking. Jace didn't really go in for anything fancier than fried eggs when it came to breakfast, either. "It smells delicious." His stomach rumbled.

Magnus looked amused. "I'd say I was definitely right about you needing something to eat more than you needed an extra few hours of sleep."

Alec took a bite of fresh bread and decided that perhaps Magnus had been right.


End file.
